Advent Kids
by Tanis Ryuu
Summary: uh, Advent Children isn't long enough. tanis stretched it out. read at your own risk...actually seeing the movie first would be good because this puppi is packed with spoilers...
1. Chapter 1

Drowning

I don't own FF…..but I do have Advent Children and FF7 for PS1…….huzzah!

AN: i know Bahamut destroyed the monument in Advent Children before Cloud even got there, but i needed the monument, so Bahamut had to demolish some other structure previous to where my fanfic starts.

* * *

Tifa sits up, eyeing him gently. "Cloud, what are you so afraid of?"  
Cloud looks away, trying to find a decent answer. "Nothing."  
"So, do notgive up on the rest of us. Cloud. Cloud? Are you listening to me?"

The man shrugs her hand off his arm.

Tifa grinds her teeth and leans closer to her companion. "We have a battle to win. You better not let me down."  
The threat does not ingnite the flame of defiance in Cloud's eyes. Infact, he looks rather deflated after Tifa's prodding.  
"As long as you and those two children don't get hurt…Tifa, stay here. I don't want you to get Involved."  
"Don't worry about us...just focus on what you have to do."  
Cloud hold her eyes with his gaze. "I can not save anyone. Not even myself...not my family, not my friends..."

* * *

FYI: this scene is a tweeked version of Advent Children. it starts after Bahamut SIN is destroyed tear. Don't compare this part to the movie too much cuz i have really messedwith it..._Scene: ruins of the old Capital. Tifa, Marlene, and Denzel stayed while Cloud drove back toward them after defeating Bahamut SIN. Kadaj himself doubled back to the Capital to transform into Sephiroth without Cloud's interferience. He holdsJenovah's neck conatined within the leaking box between his trembling palms. _

Marlene struggles through the crowd, holdingDenzel's hand. "Tifa…Where is Cloud? Why hasn't he come…"  
Tifa's nervous demeanor does nothing the help the children remain calm. Level headed as she usually remained, this situationis radically excalating out of dominance. Tifa realizes that she has to vacate the square...but the populous surges forward toobserve the self proclaimed "healer" of Geostigma. Kadaj smirks, his silver hair tossled in the slight draft. Pitiful.Cloud canot save this world from getting what it deserves!

Tifa acts quickly as she can under the circumstance,  
"Denzel, take Marlene back to the shop. Wait there...for me..."  
Her trail of thought becomes foggy as the familiar motorcycle peels to a stop in front of the three. Cloud removes his goggles and puts his feet down on the ground for balance. Denzel grins and Marlene's neurotic demeanor fades away.  
"Come home too, won't you, Cloud?"  
Denzel looks up to the man with hopful sternness. Cloud nods, "Hai"...and the children dissappear into the rear of the crowd.

Cloud pulls Tifa up behind him on the motorcycle. The crowd parts for the large machine and the path to the monument is clear. Kadaj sees them drawing quickly closer, and his smile drifts wider. Cloud jumps the bike off a fallen building frameworking, then abandons the bike for a stance right in front of the silver-haired enemy. Tifa takes control of the motorcycle, skidding both woman and machine off to a safer location. Cloud and Kadaj face off, molevolently matched. Kadaj strikes first, his kodachi rapid and graceful compared to Cloud's lugging blows with the Fenrir Blade. The battle ensues. Kadaj ends up hanging by his fingertips from the ledge of the monument. Cloud stands over him, looking down with an unreadable expression. Silver hair hides Kadaj's face, but his eyes betray his convictions about what must come next. He allows himself to fall, smiling openly up at Cloud. The box surrounding Jenova's neck separates under Kadaj's quick fingers. "Mother" 's cells soak into his chest, which causes Kadaj to scream in agonized pleasure. Cloud follows his decent physically falling, attemtping to catch up to his prey before Kadaj hits the ground. However, when fenrir colides with Kadaj, the eys Cloud embraces are those of Sephiroth, not the silver haird larva. Sephiroth's sword slides out from his uplifted hands...and the clash of the ex-soldiers begins.

_Scene: It is merely an hour after Sephiroth has emerged. Tifa abandoned the others in the Air Ship to go to Cloud after his victory with Sephiroth completes itself. Cloud's eyes have their familiar feirce will to live that had abandoned its hold over him the past two years. The battle is looking in Cloud's favor, until someting goes terribly wrong..._

There is a body on the ground between the two opposing foes. Sephiroth now steps over the corpse, glancing lazily down upon the man's brokenness. Tifa steps back, still in shocked disbelief of the situation displaying before her.

Sephiroth whips his sword to the side, blood sliding swiftly from the polished surface.His cold eyes meet Tifa's and he smirks, "Don't cry for him. You will see him soon enough. Now, I can't waste time monologuing. There's a civilization to destroy…"

Tifa eyes Cloud's seemingly lifeless body. This wasn't happening. This simply was not happening...andyet Sephiroth takes a second stridetoward her, drawing closer to the kill with every step.

_Tifa positions herself for attack, tightening her gloves in anticipation. …staring up at the ex-soldierin terror. And then Sephiroth charges. Tifa catches the blunt of his blade with her foot and launches herself over his head. Sephiroth snatches her out of the air and impales her into the cement. He smirks, pointing the blade level with her eyes. She dives to the side, barely ahead of him. Tifa crouches, mainly because she can't stand up straight. Already the pain in her abdomin is gagging her senses.The woman jumps up onto a landing of the skeletal building behind her. Sephiroth stays below, like a patient parent inflicting punishment, hair sweeps out from his shoulders like a second cape. Tifa pulls herself up higher. She jumps from beam to beam, aiming for the best defensive position. Pulling herself up onto the landing, Tifa feels somethingshift inside her. There's ajolt of electric agony which Tifascreams out in unison with her body.A hand clutches the front of her jacket and hauls the woman up to the next landing. Sephiroth's eyes glare into hers. Fear erupts in a rush. Tifa chokes…crimson pours from her lips, running down along either side of her neck._

_Sephiroth's blade slides easily through her stomach. Tifa's own body weight allows it to rip up through and out her shoulder as he lets her body fall the distance back down to the sidewalk below._

* * *

Music is gently playing somewhere behind the eyes, gently breathing into a sweat drenched face. Those Eyes search frantically for escape from the dark prison behind frozen lids. A scream builds up from the back of the mind…escalating into a wakening outburst. Cloud sits up; frantic, terrified, and nauseous. Vomit spills across his blankets, his body wretches repeatedly.Denzel sits up in the other bed across the small room.

Denzel rubs his fingers over his eyes, then plugs his nose. "Oh, gross-Cloud…you okay?"

Cloud throws the soiled blanket ontothe floorand stumbles out of the bedroom. He wretches once more while curled up in the hallway. This time, blood sprays the wood floor. Cloud rolls onto his back, heaving for air that isn't coming.

Reno and Rude are standing outside in the hallway. Both startle sharply and cringe further down the wall.Reno shakes his red hair in disntancedsympathy"You don't look so good."

Cloud drifts in a dark stupor as he watches the other men depart. In his dreams, he watched through Marlene's eyes as Tifa's twisted body sank sickeningly into the pavement. Sephiroth lefthim alive...why...?... It was more a matter of Sephiroth's ego than mercy act. He sees Tifa choking on her own fluids every time he blinks.

Tifa gone. Dead. She's so far away from where she belongs…and it's all his doing. A false alarm and a staged distraction kept the attention else where.

* * *

Dream Sequence -

Black engulfs his senses as panic seizes control. He eventually finds himself once more, but he's standing in a blank absence of white nothing. A hand rests on his shoulder.

Cloud kneels in the yellow flowers of Aeris' house.She stands behind him in the dream sequence..."Aeris, I killed her."

Aeris touches his shoulder "Where is her body, Cloud?"

"I don't…know. We looked...and i still couldn't find her…"

Aeris' smile appears in her voice "Go back. Look again."

Cloud turns to lookto look up ather "I can't!"

But Aeris is already gone. Cloud kneels gently upon the missing ground. "Aeris, I can't "

* * *

Marlene shakes hisshoulders in rough exasperation. "Cloud-o, Wake up!"

The child is sitting on his chest. Her eyes beckoning his to focus on her face.Ashort thirty-twohours ago, Marlene was a mess. This is the first time Cloud has seen her dry eyed. He almost wishes she'd go back to ignoring everyone…her eyes are more than he can handle…

Marlene separates him from his self pity by shouting down at him"I saw Aeris, Cloud! She came to me just now..."

Cloudchokes and sits up, thesmall girl falls into his lap. He wraps an armaround her to keepMarlene from tumbling onto the floor.The Child's excitment is unabridged, "Shetold me you'd save Tifa."

Cloud's painful smile should have been enough to tell Marlene that this was not a good subject to be ranting about at the moment, but the little girl prattled on,"Aeris woke me up. She said you would bring back Tifa...please, go get her Cloud."

"I…I don't know if I can do that…"

_Cloud watches the tears start back up from before. Their little trails of sorrow stain her satin face. He is too weak to stop them…_

* * *

_Scene is another Dream Sequence._

Tifa smiles over Cloud's shoulder as the twowalkback from the cliff tohis motorcycle.

"Cloud? Cloud, wait up, you're walking too fast again."

"Do you want to be caught out here after dark?"

Tifa places a hand on hisarm and pants, out of breah."With you, I am safe. I'm not afraid to die"

Cloud's eyebrow raises in a double take, "Tifa why would you say something like that? Why should you be afraid to die..."

She laughs. Cloud looks at her, not sharing in the amusement…but the thing he was forgetting presses it's clawd fingers intohis skull. He stops smiling and grabs Tifa's arm

"Tifa! No, Tifa _MOVE_!"

Cloud's own sword, Fenrir, has already penetrated her from the back. She hangs from it like a rag doll…then slides slowlyfrom the weaponlike a delicate nightmare. Tifa smiles up at him, calm and unfeeling. She lies down on the ground…then starts to choke. Her mouth bubbles from the life fluid. Her breathing is raspy...useless.

"Does it hurt you to watch me?..."

Cloud can't answer..

"Will you hold me now?"

His arms clutch the dying woman to his chest...holding her halves together…futile attempt for healing. His face buries into the departing warmth. Tifa touches him…her hand is iced. She tries to talk, but only more blood drains from her lips. The torn diaphragm won't let her breathe.

"I can't save you Tifa…I'm too weak…I'm to weak…"

* * *

luvs

Taninator


	2. Chapter 2

Debtor

* * *

Vincent stands beside Cloud as he kneels over his bike, adjusting the compartment that contains Fenrir."You do realize this is exactly thewreckless behavior Sephiroth is counting onyou to pull..." the red clad warrior states delicately.Cloud virtually ignores him. Reno steps forward  
"Sephiroth will come looking for Cloud here. i say the faster he's out of here, the better." 

After glancing darkly across the room at Reno, Cloud chucks the wrench at him. The flying titanium nearly catches the man's right ear and clatters starkly against the far wall. The men stare menacingly at one another. Cloud realizes he is in the wrong and looks away first. He kneels down beside his motorcycle to once again begin to finish the project at hand.

"Go get that wrench. I'm not finished using it"

Vincentshakes his headin contemptible amusement. He watches Reno sulkingly pickthe wrench up from the metal shavings on the floor of the shop. When his eyes catch Cloud's angry vigil, Reno slides the tool across the cement toward the do-it-yourself mechanic. Neither man loses the sight connection.

Reno snorts in disgust and leaves the shop. Vincent looks down at Cloud as the blond man goes back to work "You act like you're the only man who has ever lost a woman he loved. Life goes on Cloud, whether or not we exercise restraint on the situation"

Reno pokes his head back in the room. "Move on. You're so annoying, yo." Cloud stands up and takes a step toward the door...he stops because Marlene stands right behind him and he nearly squashes her in his haste to kick Reno's butt.

"Marlene, what are you doing here?"

"You're going to go get Tifa now, arent' you."  
Cloud avoids Vincent's eyes...but he nods in the affirmative. Marlene claps her hands and hugs him around the waist.Vincent growls, picking the wrench up from the seat of the motorcycle. He hands it to Cloud in passing as he walks toward the door of the shop.

"Vincent-san, aren't you going with Cloud?"

Keeping his back to the pair, Vincent's voice is low and detonates disapproval, "Don't speak about what you know so little of, girl.Your youthful innocents makes you asfoolish as Cloud is. There is waste in dwelling on the events of yesterday. We are at war, little one. Every able minded idiot must come to grips with death at this time. Those who chase after the ghosts of yesterday with join them...premature."

OnceVincent is out of ear shot,Marlene asks "What did Vincent-san mean, Cloud-o?"

Cloud kneels down next to his motorcycle, but his deflated motivation keeps his hands cemented to his lap. "I'm weak, Marlene. I haven't felt this helpless…before. But I do know what I have to do. I'm going after Tifa. Sephiroth has her body and i will save that much of her..."

Marlene perks up at this point and shakes his arm excitedly. Her eyes flash brilliantly as her emotions surge. "Sephiroth does not have Tifa's body! He didn't take Tifa with him."

The little girl giggles out loud at the question arising in Cloud's head. She reaches up and in his face with her small fingers.

"The big building where Sephiroth came to you...You should go there Cloud. Tifa is waiting there, you know..."

Suddenly, the notion hits Cloud full front. Could the shock of losing Tifa _really_ have caused Marlene to belive that the woman was still alive and waiting for them at the Old Capitol? Cloud grinds his teeth at the prospect of having to tell Marlene a second time that Tifa wasn't coming home..  
"Go get Tifa... find her!…Bring her home to Me"

"Marlene...Tifa is dead. Don't you remember, Marlene? We already looked for her body there. She's gone..."

Instead of breaking down from the cruel realization, Marlene laughs. Cloud is taken back, dropping the wrench onto the concrete floor.

"Tifa is not dead. She's hiding from you, Cloud.You know, like hide and seek."  
The little girl laughs openly at her small joke. At the expense of Cloud's heart, he does not allow her to continue her joyful rant.

"She is with Aeris in the Life Stream, Marlene. You know what this means...Tifa is hiding...for a long time. I can't bring her home, again."

The little girl's eyes roll back in her head. Marlene's unconscious body slumps forward onto Cloud's lap. The young man hold lays her flat, brushing the hair out of her way of breathing.

"Marlene!_ MARLENE_?"

_

* * *

_

Cloud lowers his blade and rushes his opponent. Sephiroth leaps off the scaffolding, falling easily backward. Cloud follows the controlled decent. Parry, thrust, kick, take a hit, and fall back defensively. The younger man is relentless in his attack, but Sephiroth will not be weighed down so easily.

Cloud had left Marlene in the care of Vincent and the others. The pivital moment that shoved Cloud through the doorway of indecision was the night that he sat beside Marlene's unconscious body. He was drifting in and out of sleep when a hot little hand pressed over his. the small child smiled up at him.

she whispered incoherentlyaround parched lips and throat

"Cloud..."  
He helped her drink from the canteen beside her bed. She sat back and breathed shallowly. Cloud brushed the hair from her sticky forehead and rubbed on of her bare arms between his rough fingers.

"Go get Tifa.."

"I can't Marlene."  
"She's with Aeris...Go get her..."  
"Tifa is dead...please, Marlene, why are you saying this?"

The little girl grins molevolently.  
"Hide and Seek, Cloud. Tifa is playing with us again..."  
Marlene looked to be slipping back into her dream land. Cloud stands up quietly. Marlene's insistance of refuse Tifa's death is too much for him to take in tonight. He wanted to believe as she does...deny the reality of the painful separation...loss...  
"Go Get her Cloud."  
he stops in the doorway...That was not Marlene's Voice...!...Cloud turns on his heel to see the little girl sitting upright in bed, her eyes shining green in the dark room.  
"She's not dead. And you'll lose her for good if you continue to hesitate."

That night stuck with Cloud until it drove him to the conclusion that Aeris had spoken through Marlene. The little girl claimed to notremember anything of the event the next morning, and she went along her day as though nothing had happened. However, small shy glances at Cloud from across the room jabbed at his heart and played with his senses.

The group was finally organized enough to fight Sephiroth together. However, when Vincent sought Cloud out for the mass onslaught, he found that the young man had gone on ahead of the campaign.

Back in the battle with Sephiroth, Cloud is flung back against the wall andthe ex-soldieradvances. The long thin blade plunges deeply into Cloud's right shoulder...he cringes, biting his lip.

_"Is killing Sephiroth the key to bringing Tifa forth?"_

_AN: the fight scene is gonna be rapidly touched upon here...There is no way I could match the fantastic action of the Advent Children fight scene with Cloud and Sephiroth. It is simply spectacular. _

Regardless, after Cloud regains his feet and the duo duke it out further, many buildings are left in even greater dissimilation. Sephiroth leaps into the air, far above the hero's head. Cloud casts the component blades of Fenrir up into the air, encircling Sephirong.The younger man attacks first, leaping up to swipe the Silver haired warrior with Fenrir. ThenCloud charges from across the ring of blades with another weapon, striking the enemy intermittently with each pass. When each sword has taken its bite and both pairs of eyes meet, Sephiroth's hard gaze does not waver as the connection with the living world shakes,

"I will not become a Memory…"

A single Wing wraps around theex-soldier as his corruption drifts from Kadaju's features. Sephiroth, in essence,dies. Cloud hits the ground – rolls – and then attempts to stagger up right. Kadaju's body falls beside Cloud. He is choking, dying as well.

Kadaju cries out to Mother. Cloud holds his "brother" as the man deals with the inflictionsdone tohis body. Kadaju's hand clasps someone not of this realm and he is pulled upwards. He disappears in a cloud of green semen. Cloud stands, clutching his sword, breathing in the silence at the end of all things.

That's when one of Kadaju's cronies pulls the trigger. Cloud's abdomen is ripped open and crimson life force spills onto the ground before him.

Confusion rips apart his mind's eye. "I have to live for Tifa! I can't die now…bring Tifa home for…Marlene…"

Cloud allows himself to fall to his knees, but he's no longer in the demolished Old Capital where the battle with Sephiroth took place. The floor below him has disappeared as he kneels on the solid ground amongst Aeris' pecular patch of yellow Flowers.

Cloud blinks at the brightness of the world around him...his hand caresses his chest...the bullet's exit wound has closed without any indication it was ever created.

"I'm dead…"

Life Stream swirls around him in green hued serenity. Cloud can merely stare at the storm of energy billowing around his spirit body.

"Not quite."

Cloud's breath catches in his throat and his chest tingles from the long awaited reunion.

"Hello Cloud."  
"Aeris..."  
Her smile becons him forward and hereaches out to pullher small body into his arms. Aeris steps briskly away from him, holding her hands behind her back, eyes begging his to understand,

"You cannot touch me, Cloud. The jolt would send you out of the Life Stream and into either afterlife."  
Cloud's eyes well with painful disappointment. He was here conditionally.  
"Aeris, wait...-"

She takes a few steps toward the left, reveiling Tifa,huddledfetal postionunder the green swirls anddarkness.  
"You are here to collect her, Cloud. Take Tifa and return to Marlene..."

"I can't take you too?"  
She tilts her head to the side, smiling regretfully. Zack appears at her side. Cloud chokes from the rise of emotion. He kneels to prevent himself from collapsing. Zack and Aeris reach out to him, but cannot touch their companion.  
"Cloud, you gave your word that you would bring Tifa home to Marlene."  
"I...wish it were you, Aeris."  
Zack rests his hand on the woman's shoulder. He smiles down at Cloud.  
"You will undertand in time, my friend, but for now, you're just going to have to trust us."  
Jealousy is absent from Cloud's emotions as he looks at Aeris with Zack. This placement feels right somehow. He sees Aeris' beautiful blurred face...calming, gentle, knowledable.

"I was with Tifa when her soul and body separated. I gave a part of myself to bring them here. When you take Tifa's soul and body back to the world's surface, they will become one: Tifa."  
Zack moves in front of Cloud and crouches down to look him in the eyes.  
"Tifa's body is healed and prepared to depart with you. However..."  
Aeris points to a white, filmy figure almost transparent against the Life Stream's distraction.  
"Her spirit belongs herein the Life Stream. That half of Tifa does not want to return to the world's surface."

Cloud realizes his purpose for being brought here. His role is that of the only man who can convince Tifa's soul to return with him.  
"...Tifa..."  
Her name from his lips carries response to the body in the shadows. Tifa stands, smiling at him, but not beaming with excitment. Tifa's Spirit keeps her back to Cloud, stubbornly stationed in her realm of release. Tifa's solid form nods to him to proceed to talk to her Spirit.  
His feet do not require ground to propel him forward. A mere desire moves him closer to Tifa's Spirit. This ethreal creature becomes more distinct and frightfully delicate the closer Cloud arrives to his destination.

She is naked. The blush in his face rises hot and he hesitates for a time, contemplating whether or not he should place a hand on her shoulder. The Spirit gives no indication that she is aware of his presence behind her. Her fluid form appears to swirl with similiar storm of the Life Stream, but the Spirit is nearly solid with white, pearl essence. Cloud raises a tentive hand and lays a soft fingertip across the nape of the Spirit's neck.  
The Spiritspins around in a rush of feirce indignation, hot white eyes clinging onto his gaze. Cloud is immersed in the innocence produced by this creature of light and life. She reveals everything, but she is pure. Not Lustful...merely beautiful and breathtaking.

Tifa's body whispers from a short distance away,  
"Take me home Cloud"  
Her voice soothes his raw shock. The soul's voice doesn't come from her mouth, but echoes out of the Life Stream around them.  
"I AMof this Life Stream. I belong here."  
"Take me home, Cloud."  
The Spirit sounds convinced that she is not to be removed,  
"Bring my body back with you to Marlene and the others. Give them that closure. I AM of this Life Stream. I belong Here, Cloud."

Zacksteps forward quickly and pleads,  
"Please, Tifa,Aeris gave up so much to save you from Death. Do not let that go to waste."  
Tifa's Spirit fires brilliantly brighter, her face controted with anguish. Her voice echoes from the Life Stream in a spiteful sorrow,  
"Don't you settle for Us, Cloud, when it is Aeris you truly desire."  
"I cannot take Aeris. She has done her part for the World, you have not. Tifa, come home."  
The Spirit looks away, appearing to shut their words out of her conscious. Aeris and Zack step away, motioning Cloud to continue. He gives them a frightened look, but Tifa's solid form smiles at him from the shadows. Her eyes tease his in the same way they used to, making Cloud smirk in spite of the circumstances.

"Tifa, I just died for you. I'm not going to go back to the Surface without you by my side. Losing both you and I will devastate Marlene and Denzel...and all the other children. I'm not leaving you here. You are selfish to stay where you are not needed."  
Tifa's Spirit turns her face to his, but keeps her eyes to the side, not meeting his strong sight.  
"You will always be in lovewith Aeris."  
The accusation spins in the air, circling Cloud's mind in sharp realization.  
"Do you want me to stop loving her, Tifa? For you...?..."

"Could you love me, too...Cloud?..."

Cloud chooses to not look back at Aeris before responding to Tifa's questioning soul,  
"You know i already do."

Tifa's body takes one of Cloud's hands in her own. Cloud wraps his fingers around the forearm of Tifa's Soul. The Three turn to face Zack and Aeris.

"We are going to be with you, always...watch and wait, my friends."  
Aeris holds Cloud's eyes in her own, then steps forward, quickly pressing her mouth over his. The connection is brief, but enough to jettson the two halves of Tifa and Cloud back to the surface of the world.

Cloud finds himself laying in a field of Aeris' strange yellow flowers. His arms are raised over his head and in his grasp he touches Tifa's left hand...and her right forearm.

* * *

Luvs 

Tanis


End file.
